El Pueblo in the Media, 2019

January 2019

This month, El Pueblo began taking the necessary steps to prepare for year long advocacy and leadership development in 2019. Our top priorities, as determined by community leaders, is in-state tuition to university or tech schools for all NC residents, regardless of documentation, drivers licenses for undocumented residents, and expanded access to reproductive care for all. We kicked off the year with a weekend retreat called EP Rises, where newly registered volunteers were given the opportunity to learn more about El Pueblo’s work, our mission and vision, as well as take part in a series of workshops designed to help create the right frame of mind to acheive intersectional justice. Our newly trained leaders will be able to practice these skills during HKonJ, and later in the year as they participate in actions and visits to the NC General Assembly.

February 2019

This past month, North Carolina experienced a series of mass detentions conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where more than 200 individuals were detained over the course of a week. These actions were a direct retaliation against major counties across the state who said “no” to hate and bigotry by electing sheriffs who promised an end to partnerships with ICE. We stand in solidarity with the victims and their families, and wish to uplift the work of organizations doing crucial work, such as El Centro Hispano, The Hispanic Liaison, CIMA, Siembra NC, Comunidad Colectiva, and RadarSafe. We also worked with allies to urge elected officials to speak out against the raids, as well as asking the Wake County School Board to show solidarity with undocumented students.

Story on Safety in Public Schools for Undocumented Students: ABC11 (E)

March 2019

This month, community leaders made their presence known on various levels of government, visiting the Wake County School Board, the Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, even the offices of our federal representatives in DC. The purpose of these meetings was for our elected officials to acknowledge the massive damage and trauma caused by last month’s ICE raids and to oppose legislation that would cause even greater harm to our communities. We also stood alongside allies who opposed HB 370, an anti-immigrant bill that serves as direct retaliation against voters in cities like Raleigh, Charlotte and Asheville for electing progressive sheriffs who listened to their constituents and terminated the 287(g) agreement between ICE and county sheriff departments.